Adrian Peterson is the best running back in football and signed a contract in September that paid him accordingly. The Vikings gave him a new seven-year deal worth as much as $100 million. Even though he might not see all that money, $36 million is guaranteed. One would figure someone who just signed a big contract would reward himself with a nice purchase or two. Not the case for Peterson.

“I like to sit back and let my money grow, so I’m going to sit on it for a minute. Something might pop up that I want to purchase, it might be a good investment or something, I don’t know, we’ll see. As of now, I’m just watching it build up in my account.

“I gotta look out for my family … so I have to be smart about it.”

Peterson signed the contract in early September, so we can understand if he really hasn’t had a chance to go shopping because he’s been busy focusing on the season. Still, he hasn’t bought ANYTHING for himself? Not even the sort of “Love Me” gift Cheryl’s therapist recommended she get? That’s commendable.

We’ve heard so many stories about players changing after signing big-money deals. We’ve seen guys like Chris Johnson whose play fell off after he held out. And here’s Adrian Peterson who isn’t motivated by material purchases. Maybe that’s the reason he’s able to have so much success from year-to-year — his priorities are in the right place.